


Secret Royal

by lesdemonium (winnerstick), winnerstick



Series: Romtober 2020 [5]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, First Meetings, M/M, Prince!Jaskier, Royal!Jaskier, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26836558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winnerstick/pseuds/lesdemonium, https://archiveofourown.org/users/winnerstick/pseuds/winnerstick
Summary: Jaskier, a prince, sneaks out into the village to try to meet his subjects. He meets a witcher.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Romtober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949827
Comments: 27
Kudos: 304





	Secret Royal

**Author's Note:**

> ok i am learning something about myself and that is that i am much more suited for longfic because every idea i have i start writing and realize that if i don't cut myself off it will be like 5k words at minimum. yikes.

Jaskier’s day had been very long. 

He was very quickly realizing that he did not have the social graces necessary to pass as a commoner as he had thought he did. After a run-in with a shop owner in the marketplace that very much wanted to take Jaskier’s hand for what Jaskier did not realize was stealing, he and his lone guard had decided that perhaps it was best to lay low. After all, the entire point of this endeavor was for Jaskier to see how his people lived before he took power. It wouldn’t be very beneficial to this endeavor if he had to flash a royal seal betraying him as the prince to everyone he offended just to avoid things such as  _ justice _ .

So he had laid low and gone to a tavern and just… watched. Flirted with a few pretty ladies and tried but  _ very _ quickly struck out with a few men. His guard, Renfri, was growing tired of his antics and very bodily putting herself between him and a few patrons who had gotten a bit too touchy as they drank, but there were only so many opportunities Jaskier had to  _ let loose _ . And, really, it wasn’t so bad.

Being bruised all up and down his body should have been the worst of it, and yet.

It had started with an accident. Jaskier had gone outside for some fresh air and to get away from a particularly  _ dominant  _ woman. Under normal circumstances, Jaskier would have been delighted, but Renfri had made her rules very clear, and when this woman refused to take no for an answer, Jaskier was immediately turned off. So he was escaping. Renfri was only a few short paces behind, and perhaps if she had caught up, she would have stopped Jaskier from what was clearly a bad decision, but because she was not quite fast enough, Jaskier’s bad decisions were his own.

He only tried to touch the horse. Jaskier had always loved horses, but his mother found them to be dirty, smelly creatures, and insisted on keeping them at least the distance of a carriage away.

No sooner had his hand reached out then he found himself slammed into a wooden post. The air was knocked out of him and Jaskier was quite sure he had seen his life flash before his eyes as he laid eyes upon his assailant. His beautiful, stunning assailant.

A moment later, the beautiful man was ripped away from Jaskier by Renfri, and a knife held to his throat as Renfri went through a list of very  _ inspired _ and detailed threats. The man didn’t look scared, instead he held himself with all the stoicism in the world, and merely a tick of the eyebrow conveyed that he was even a little bit impressed.

Oh no. Jaskier very much wanted to get to know  _ this _ man.

“Renfri, it’s okay,” Jaskier said, putting a hand on her arm. She pulled back, only a little, to look at him, and her knife stayed exactly where it was. The man, the very smart man, did not move. Most would take her distraction as an opportunity to escape. This man seemed to understand she wasn’t distracted at all. “I’m sure he had a very good reason. No need to divest him of his vocal cords.”

Renfri nodded, though the look she gave the man was withering as she pulled away and stepped back. The man relaxed, just a touch, and looked between the two curiously, before apparently deciding he didn’t care enough to ask and turned back to his task of brushing down his horse.

“Don’t touch Roach,” he said.

“That’s why you slammed me into the pole?” Jaskier asked, his eyebrow raised. “I didn’t even see you  _ coming _ . And I think you managed to paint me completely black and blue with one move. All because I almost  _ touched _ your horse?”

The man shrugged, but that wasn’t good enough for Jaskier.

“My, you’re a chatty one. Do you have a name, stranger?” The man grunted, but now he was  _ walking away _ . That wouldn’t do. With a glance at Renfri, Jaskier scrambled to catch up to the man, then fall into step beside him.

“The man asked you a question, Witcher,” Renfri said, also falling into step beside Jaskier. She shot Jaskier a disapproving look, like she would rather be anywhere but here, but Jaskier only grinned in response. He understood her frustration, but this was the most interesting encounter Jaskier had experienced all day, and he wasn’t about to let this get in his way.

“A  _ witcher _ ! That explains everything. The hair, the eyes, the inhuman strength. Really. Will probably have to have someone look at my back tonight.” Jaskier waved it off, though. He was made of stronger stuff than that. “Geralt of Rivia, then! I’ve heard stories about you!”

“Go away,” Geralt said.

Jaskier scoffed. “I can’t just leave now. I have the ear of Geralt of Rivia! Imagine the tales you could tell me. Tell me, are you here for a monster? Anything interesting? Can I come?”

Renfri made a noise of disapproval beside Jaskier, but Jaskier paid her no mind. Geralt, however, merely snorted.

“I’m not here to entertain spoiled nobles in garish, fancy clothes,” Geralt answered, “Find your amusement elsewhere. You’ll get yourself killed, or your doublet covered in monster guts.”

“I bet I could surprise you,” Jaskier insisted.

“I doubt it.”

“Let me try.”

Geralt finally sighed, stopped, and turned to face Jaskier. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Let me buy you a drink. Tell me about some of your tales. Just let me live vicariously through you for a little while.” He glanced at Renfri, hoping that she would back him up, but instead she looked at him as if she’d rather be anywhere but here. If it were up to her, they’d go back to the castle immediately. Luckily, it wasn’t up to her, and she could be sour all she liked. “Please. One drink?”

Geralt considered him for a few moments, then shrugged his shoulders. Jaskier took that as the greatest victory he could have won. Geralt turned on his heel and headed back toward the tavern, Jaskier following closely behind. Despite agreeing, and getting a free drink out of it, Jaskier was pretty sure Geralt could and would ditch him at the first opportunity.

“Wonderful!” Jaskier cheered. “Well, then, let’s go back to the original question: are you here for a monster?”

Geralt shrugged again. “Apparently, the king has a monster he wants taken care of. I have an audience with him tomorrow.”

Jaskier cut a delighted glance to Renfri, who even raised her eyebrows back. Well. At least now he knew tomorrow would be just as interesting as tonight had turned out to be.


End file.
